Adjustable telephone-holder and automatic circuit-breaker



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

W. H. EGKERT, LA. SEELY & E. A. EGKERT. ADJUSTABLE TELBPHO-NE HOLDER AND AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER.

No. 288,320. Patented Nov. 13, 1883.

il iinesoas: fizz/622502 0: $%M

(No Model.) I 2 Shee'ts-Shet 2.

W. H. BOKERT,'J. A. SEELY & E. A. EGKERT.

ADJUSTABLE TELEPHONE HOLDER AND AUTOMATIC GIRGUIT BREAKER. No'..288,320. Patented Nov. 13, 1883;

Witnesses: 60 M w n 0/ J & 66%

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. ILLIAM H. EGKERT, JOHN A. senior, AND EDWARD A. ncKnnr, on

CINCINNATI, 1 011 0.

ADJUSTABLE TELEPHONE-HOLDER AND AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

srncrrrcnrronror mg part of Letters Patent No. 288,320, dated N ovember 13, 1883. Application filed February 4, 1852. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. ECKERT, J OHN A. SEELY, and EDWARD A. ECKERT, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in an Adjustable Telephonesame, illustrating the side movement of arm. 'to make connections with the transmitter and receiver. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the T upper end of the arm-plate, showing attachmentofground-connection; Fig. 5, view of rear side of the plate to which the telephone farm isattached; Fig. 6, side view of hinged.

end of telephone-arm, showing connection A T with permanent plate; Fig. 7, view of the per- ,manent plate, with adjustable armremoved to show connection of main line with ground,

Fig. 8, front view of adjustable arm and permanent plate with full connections.

In operating telephones connected with a b centralexchange several serious objectionsare P 3 found to exist, which, if obviated, would greatly enhance the speed and facility with which communications could be made. The most serious of these is the fact thatthe subscriber T is compelled, in answering a call or in ring- "1 -35 ing up the exchange by the present method, toxfirst removethe receiver from the supporting-hook, thus making connections, and afterward place it to the ear. It frequently hap- T pens that the person so using thereceiver neglects to replace it on the hook, thus keeping the circuit open. To obviate this the receiver is secured to an arm which has a slight sidewisefor vibrating movement controlled by a spring so that, the person using the instrument, instead of handling the receivingtelephone, simply places his ear against the mouth of the instrument I and presses against it slightly, whichmovement is sufficient to throw the receiver and the transmitter into the circuit with the line-wire. Again, the receiver thus secured to an arm would not at all times be at the proper elevation for the users; and to obviate this a segment rack-baris provided, to which the telephone-arm is hinged, a pawl onthe arm being used to engage withthe rackbar, so as to enable the user to readily adjust the receiver to suit the height of any one using the instrument. The operatoris therefore enabled to use the instrument without touching either the transmitter or receiver, and the moment he leaves the receiver the circuit is closed. It further provides for keeping the current from passing through the transmitter unless when in use, thus avoiding the dangers from lightning.

' Referring now to the accompanying draw: ings, A represents the wall or stationary obj ect to which the transmitter and bell are attached. N 0 change is contemplated in the transmitterB. 1 T i T 0 represents a permanent plate,either-of metal or wood, secured to the wall at a point near the side of the transmitter B. This plate is provided near itsupper end with a button, 0, by means of which connection is made with the ground. On the face of theplate G are two metallic fingers, F F, insulated by means of the gutta-percha plates D fromthe plate T G in case the permanent. plate'O is not composed of insulating material. Binding-posts E are attached to fingers F F, as shown.

G is a metallic plate somewhat narrower than-the permanent plate 0, having its edge which is farthest fromthe transmitter flush with the other and hinged thereto, so that the plate G will. open and close on the plate 0. At the upper end of the plate G is a bindingpost, I, which projects through the plate, so as to come in contact withthe button 0 on plate 0. j

Theends of the fingers F F, it will. be ob served, project over the plate G, but are not in contact with the plate except when the plate G is turned on its hinges H. At the pointofcontact of the upper finger, F, is a button, G, insulated from plate G, and connected byan insulated wire, 0, with the binding-post I. The lower end of the plate G has also a binding-post, G, by means of which the plate G is connected with the ground and the battery. The lower binding-post, G, aswell as the binding-post I at the upper end of plate G, is insulated from said plate. At the point of contact of finger F with the plate G isair insulated button, K, connected with bindingand thence up-through rod N to arm 0, bindpost G by means of the insulated wire K.

The plate G has permanently attached thereto and projecting therefrom a segment of a rack-bar, J. Curved springs K, with one end attached to the permanent plate beneath, have their opposite ends resting against the side of the rack, so that the tension of the springs forces the plate G down onto the permanent plate 0.

Hinged to the segment J at L is an arm, L,

and a pawl, M, secured to this arm, engages with the teeth M, so that the operator is enabled to raise or lower the arm and secure it at any desired elevation. The upper end of this arm N is tubular, as shown; or the entire arm may be tubular, so as to be used for conducting insulated wires. The tubular form of this arm is not, however, an essential feature of our present invention, since it is-obvious a that the arm may be in the form of a solid bar or red, and the wires otherwise-disposed than through the arm. The form here shown is, however, more preferable, and for the present purpose will best illustratethe operation about to be described. The small tube N on the lower solid limb of the arm is here designed as a continuation of the tube N above. The

in .Fig. 6.

any point to or from the transmitter. thus be observed that the hinged armhasthreefold uses: first, to make and break connections by a side movement of the head without being touched by the hand; second, to be adjusted for the height of the operator; and,

third, to enable users to move the receiver a ployed both before and after the message is We will now describe in detail the circuitconnections, whereby we dispense with the.

limited distance to or from the transmitter.

automatic circuit-breaker or switch in thebell, as now used, to cutout the transmitter when messagesare not being sent.

which is directly connected with the main line, to the binding-post I on hinged plate G; The current passes; through the wire Q, which is'connected withand permanent plate 0.

button 0, to the ground. The circuit is thus closed. When a message is to be-transinitted,

the ear of the operator is placed against the mouth of the receiver, and a slight movement.

with the fingers F F, the former of which, F,

strikes the button G, thereby making connec- G. The current, therefore, passes through the connecting-wire E to the hinged plate G,

ing-post O, thence to telephone through line S, which passes through the tubular arm N and tube N, and thence to thetransmitter, from which it proceeds, through line T, to finger F, then through wire K to the ground, 'over line U. When by the motion of the head the receiver is released and the hinged arm and plate permitted to return to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the transmitter and receiver are again out out of the circuit, asbefore.

It will be observed by this system the current passes through the bell and the receiver before passing through the transmitter,;a11d, further, that all the apparatus in the bell-box except the engine and magnets are dispensed with. The improvement herein shown is interposed at a point between the bell and ,the a the transmitter or the bell-box to accomplish the samepurpose; but such disposition is-contemplated in the spirit of our invention, :and

is only one-of the various forms that may he adopted;

We are aware that it is not new, broadly, to secure a receiver to a hinged arm, wherebg said arm, when raised or lowered, opens and The receiver 1 is attached to the tubular arm N by means of the sliding arm 0, en; abling the'operator to adjust the telephone at I It will closes the telephone-circuit; but in such devices as heretofore made the operator ;is com pel-led to first raise the receiver and the arm to adjust it before communicating, and :isalso required to release the arm and returniteto its original position after the message'hasbeen delivered. It is obvious, therefore,.-that .the operator will be as likely to neglect tokturn down the arm 'as to hang the receiver on the hook. In either case the hands must be emtransmitted. In our device this is absolutely avoided, since the transmitter is thrown into the circuit the moment the head moves the receiver-arm, and automatically cutout when the operator leaves the instrument. In Fig. 1 the wire Q proceeds from the bell,

Having described our invention, what we claim is 1. Atelephone-holder composed-ofa-hinged plate, G, having permanently secured thereto and projecting therefrom a rack-bar segment,

J, in combination with an arm, N L, carr-ying a receiver, I, the saidarm being held at any desiredangle by means of the pawl lVL-substantially as and for the purpose hereinshown and set forth.

2. Atelephone-holderhaving an arm-to which the receiver is secured, hinged to a sidewise-Vibrating hinged base-plate, in combination with springsK,whieh hold the plate in proper position,and with the fingers E F, so as to form contact-points when the plate is raised on the inges, substantially as and for the purpose herein set f orth. a a

3. A telephone-holder composed of a hinged and adjustable arm, N, combined with the plate G, carrying thebinding-post I, button O, fingers FF, and receiver 1?, adjustably secured tothe arm N, and a transmitter and battery,whereby the said arm maybe adjusted to the height of theoperator and have aside vibratory movement, and the ground-connections opened or closed andthe receiver thrown in or outof the circuit, substantially as .de-

, scribed.

4. A telephone-holder consisting of an adjustable arm hinged to a base-plate and having a side vibratorymovement, and the binding-post I on the said base-plate,the button O, and the fingers F F on the permanent plate 0, combined with a telephone, substantially as described.

5. In a telephonic apparatus, the adjustable and swinging support pivoted to swing in both directions, combined with the means, substantially as described, for completing the circuit.

6. In a telephone-holder, the base-plate G, having the button 0, to form connection with the ground, the fingers F F, and the springs K K, in combination with a plate, G, hinged thereto but insulated therefrom, having the binding-post I for main-line connections, and button G, in connection with said binding post, and the binding-postG for making connections with the ground, and provided with substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. a e a In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands, this 27th day of January, 1882, in the presence of witnesses.

WM. H.- EOKERT.

JOHN A. SEELY.

lVitnesses:

H.. W. LEYONS, J. SHZERBE. V

EDWARD a. EoKERT.

the rack-bar segment J, having hinged thereto the arm L N, supporting the receiver-P, 

